, 1887-04-20
SCIENCE OF MAGIC.
WHAT AN EXPERT ONCE SAID OF
THE so CALLED "BLAcK ART"

49, ANR"tabs-AA'A
ler's TrIcks-JuGglers OF India.
Perhaps no one outside OF professional
circles ever took u greater interest in the
science of magic than the late Harry l.
Sands. The secrets and apparatus which
he brought together cost over SIC, 1000,
and represented the results of sixteen
years close study, backed by an abund
ancc Of enthusiasm and plenty Of initiative
ability. He studied chemistry and cleo
tricity in order to use them in perfecting
his Illusions, and he had n sanctum or
studio where he passed every moment he
could spare from business in working up
new effects for his performances.
Although going deep into tho practical
working out Of illusions, Mr.. Sands, dur
ing the latter part of his life, devoted u
great deal Of attention to the study of the
occult science, although he was very far
from being n convert to the Thcosophical
creed. Through his knowledge of magic
he could explain many of the so called
tests made TO demonstrate the truthful
mess Of the teachings Of the T~heosophists.
In speaking one day shortly before his
death Mr.. Sands said;
The experiments mentioned as having
occurred through the agency of Nine.
Blavatsky seem to me to be embraced in
WV "a - VI 1ANAEAAk u am an DNA-
son having n good knowledge of slcight of
hand will laugh at the idea of con-
Meeting n supernatural power with
the finding of money in bureau
drawers or the discovering of cups and
saucers anon the branches of n tree. A
beautiful experiment mentioned is the
chime Of bells said to DO heard very often
just above Nine. Blavatsky's head. L do
not doubt that those chimes were heard
puf1 npcpupI Cor thprt In tho CANA yvo "
that l account FOR table rapping. Mime.
Dlavatsky must be wonderfully endowed
with magnetic force in order to produce
this riugiBg sound upon the air, but 1
believe the effect could be arrived at simply
through physical causes. Very few people
now attribute anything supernatural to
table moving and rapplng, but correctly
put 1t down to the power of electricity act
ing through the fingers Of those engaged
in the experiments. Once saturate n table
with water and you can do nothing with
it, but give it u thorough drying before a
fire md ii will dance a sailors hornpipe
for you, which knocks the supernatural
theory on tho head.
The table and chair lifting of Heller
Mr.. Sands pronounced n trick performed
to perfection, and It was his intention to
Introduce tho illusion in his own perform
nncc, having obtained the secret from
t'A'tPis - htANA AkAo' 1NNuitu lAlO Illllll
reading Illusion us he called it, now
being performed SO successfully by Bishop.
Mr.. Sands obtained the illusion from Cor
many and prepared 10 duplicate all of
bishops tests. lie said the whole trick
wa3 summed up in the question of mem
DRY and d~elicacy of touch. He did not
propose to put it before the public as any
thing more han II clever trick. The mind
reading business he said was simply Rob
aHf IIrIlnrfg pnnnV1 gfv1f rfr 1oICrato1
but not improved. Both second sight and
mind reading originated with the Ger
mans. Mr.. Sands owned n copy of Hell
ler's original manuscript of the second
sight business. The directions and signs
covered several pages, and the performer
was required to learn the entire thing ''by
heart, , as they say in school. The task
was apparently us difficult as that of mas
tering n new language.
Mr.. Sands believed III rendering an
amateur magical performance as perfect
in every detail as those upon the profess
sionnl stage. He never encouraged his
friends to take up magic, believing that
very few Of them would have the patience
to master what he considered u science.
He also warned the would be embryo
IIellerS of the expense incident to forming
even n passing good collection Of secrets
and illusions, many Of the effects costing
tS ulBu Us SNOO Ut SOOO tuCll. IlC SCCTclS
or directions for performing tho trick, he
found often cost ten times as much as tbs
apparatus. lie owned some tricks that
cost him less than 81, whilo the eXplana-
ton setting forth the manner in which
they were to be performed he valued at
from S25 to $50.
Included in Mr.. Sands collection was n
large, thick book of 800 pages filed with
directions in writing for performing tho
49, 4. - --- G-.-
his performances. Here and there Mr..
of the apparatus to be used in doing the
tricks and he valued the book more than
anything he possessed.
A new illusion, which Mr.. Sands i'm
ported shortly before his death, was IL
talking skull. This skull would answer
questions, tell stories, and in fact appeared
to be endowed with life. In describing
its makeup its owner said that it was n
combination of microphone, telephone inc
monograph, and he considered it one Of
the greatest triumphs of science applied
to magic he had ever seen. He could take
tho skull in his hand and walk with it
through tho audience, making it answer
questions right and left as lie moved
along. This, of course, did away with the
idea that the skull was connected with
the rear of the stage by wires and oper-
nteu by the assistant.
Mr.. Sands took q great interest in the
science of legerdemain rs performed by
the jugglers of India, and it was his great
ambition to make n trip into the land of
Buddhn and witness the fcats performed
by tho natives of India. lie had n theory
TO the effect that the snake charmcrs and
jugglers first mesmeriZed their audiences
and then led them on to imagine Il..ay
things took place which really never hap
pcned. At the same time he believed the
Hindoos were acquainted with many
natural laws entirely unknown 10 the
Europeans, and through n knowledge Of
these laws accomplished feats which APP
peared to be supernatural 70 the less
learned people of the west.
About a year ago n friend of Mr.. Sands,
who had recently returned from India,
presented him with n package of seeds
used by the jugglers in performing one Of
their apparently supernatural feats. Fol
lowing the directions given him by his
friend. he planted the seed in moist earth,
which had previously been heated by mix
ing it with n little lime. Within fifteen
minutes the seeds sprouted, and in half an
hour had put forth shoots 10 the height Of
five or six inches. He tried this Same ex-
pertinent with seeds obtained from n flor
- -. t.Il.l g. arrs,., ne on~ ,ng,,1V -